Do I Get Combat Pay For This?

It's New Year's weekend, which means Kevin is at the office. It's no fun for him, but every year he rings in the new year staring at a spreadsheet. Something about the year-end financial report for all of USAA, and the bigwigs are breathing down his department's neck until it is finished. Kevin's silver lining is that he's receiving double-time since he's working on a holiday. My silver lining is that it's only a couple weekends out of the year, as opposed to a couple months of 80-hour weeks like it was when he worked for Arthur Andersen.

That said, all is not rosy on the homefront. I spent Friday night with a stomach bug. Today Caelyn seems to have caught the same thing, so I've spent most of the afternoon holding back her hair and listening to her recount every single time she's ever thrown up in her life. (She likes to verbally process while she's sick. My job is just to rub her back and say, "I know.")

So Happy New Year, everyone. I hope all my friends and family are having a grand time! I'll celebrate when school starts again.

Kid Quotes

David is fully resisting the idea of potty training. We had a semi-successful day today, but overall David's mantra has been, "I don't want to get on the potty train!" I guess he thinks it's a ride.

Also, at dinner tonight he said, "Excuse me, I burped in my bottom." You're probably smart enough to figure that one out.

Never Tried This One

My kids are getting past the WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) stage, but there were times that this technique would have been helpful! I can't tell you how many times they got into stuff in the pantry or my ink pads or other "no-touch" items while I was doing something else.

Please, don't send me comments saying this is child abuse. This child is obviously fine and probably wasn't there for more than a couple minutes. This is just a stickier version of a Baby Bjorn. Thanks to Blessed Assurances for sharing this image.

I Love the 80s

Last night was a surreal evening. Kevin's company had its annual "Holiday Party." Kevin works for USAA, the ginormous insurance company that employs 16,000 people locally. The company party is held downtown at the Convention Center because, really, where else can you have a party for thousands upon thousands of people?

Here's the fun part: They hired the classic 80s rock group Foreigner to perform. Seriously. We got to listen and sing and laugh hysterically for over an hour to such classic Foreigner hits as "Feels Like the First Time" and "Jukebox Baby" and "Urgent." Highly entertaining.

Oh, The Places I've Been!

For no reason whatsoever, I made a map of every state I've visited. Never mind that some of those visits were merely drive-thrus on my way to or from college. The point is: I've been there. I've been to an extremely nice Target in Albuquerque, I've eaten at Molly Murphy's House of Fine Repute in Oklahoma City (where later that night my car was broken into), and I've been to the airport in Newark, New Jersey, on my way to New York City. And that's enough New Jersey for me.

Someday I'd like to head up to Ohio to see some friends. I really want to do a tour of American authors' home in the Northeast. Someday...



create your own visited states map

How Good is Your Grammar?

Your Language Arts Grade: 100%

Way to go! You know not to trust the MS Grammar Check and you know "no" from "know." Now, go forth and spread the good word (or at least, the proper use of apostrophes).

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